Charity: Foreign adoption of Haiti orphans must stop

Charity: Foreign adoption of Haiti orphans must stop

Charity: Foreign adoption of Haiti orphans must stop

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Haiti food queue

Desperation: woman jostle for food and water being handed out by US troops

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Haiti baby girl

Hope: a baby girl is born aboard an American hospital ship

Desperation: woman jostle for food and water being handed out by US troops

More orphans are being evacuated from Haiti and sent to live with new parents abroad, it emerged today.

The latest group of children to leave the country are heading to France where they will adopted. They will follow 123 already sent to the Netherlands and 54 who arrived in the US earlier this week.

Thousands of children have been left orphaned since last week's earthquake, triggering a rush of enquiries from around the world about adopting a child from the island — which before the quake already had around 380,000 orphans in need of homes.

But charities have expressed concern, saying children whose parents are dead or unaccounted for should be reunited with their extended family and international adoption should only be considered as a last resort.

Hannah Reichardt, an emergency adviser with Save the Children, said: "We would prefer for children at this stage to stay within their communities.

International adoption should not happen in this stage of an emergency when people are still being pulled out from he rubble. It is far too early."

Seven-year-old Kiki Joachin, who was trapped under rubble for eight days after his home collapsed, recalled the moment he was finally pulled free.

The boy, who was pictured with a broad grin as he was pulled from the ruins, said: "I smiled because I was free. I smiled because I was alive."

He was rescued with his sister Sabrina, 10. The pair's other three siblings Yeye, nine, Titite, three, and 18-month Didine were killed. Their four-year-old brother David survived because he was playing outside.

Kiki added: "I am sad for my brothers and sisters but happy with my mama. God helped me." His mother Odinel, 38, said: "When I saw them I collapsed in tears and hugged them. We were all laughing and crying."

Recalling the earthquake, she said: "The whole six-storey block fell flat in seconds. I was sure they were dead."